Bellator 39 results: Alvarez outboxes Curran; Hawn and Freire advance

Midnight came a few minutes early in Connecticut, but Cinderalla hung around for 25 minutes.

Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez retained his belt with a five-round boxing clinic over perennial underdog Pat Curran in a fight that lasted far longer than most MMA pundits expected.

The bout served as the featured attraction of Saturday’s MTV2-broadcast Bellator 39 event, which took place at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

In the opening round, Alvarez flashed his speed advantage with crisp head movement and lighting-quick jabs and straight right hands. Curran was unfazed by the work and stood firm in the pocket while defending a few earnest takedown attempts, but his counters weren’t enough to overcome Alvarez’s control of the exchanges.

The second round played out in similar fashion. Curran was happy to counterpunch, though it was Alvarez’s volume that likely took the round. Nevertheless, Curran again flashed impressive takedown defense while mixing in a few counter knees, as well. Alvarez was cruising, working the body and creating angles, but Curran was not overwhelmed.

In the third, Alvarez appeared to turn it up a notch. The combinations were thrown with more frequency and ferocity, and the accumulation of shots to the torso began to show on the face of Curran. The challenger’s takedown defense remained strong, though Alvarez did finally score one quick trip to the floor.

As the fight entered the championship rounds – a first for both fighters – Alvarez’s pace remained high, and Curran’s approach remained unchanged. The challenger landed a few crops counters in spots, but it was Alvarez’s never-ending card that delivered punch after punch while bobbing, weaving, sliding and shuffling.

Alvarez remained conscious of Curran’s power and refused to over-extend himself in attack while cruising to a unanimous-decision win. Curran flurried in the closing moments as he sought a Hail Mary, but the final score was already a lock. The lack of a finish will undoubtedly draw some criticism from Alvarez’s detractors, but his performance was dominant in nature.

Following the unanimous-decision announcement, which Alvarez claimed with scores of 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46, the champ praised the gutsy challenger.

“I wish I had the heart he has at his age,” Alvarez said. “Pat’s going to be a champion someday, and my hat’s off to him tonight.”

With his first successful defense of Bellator’s title, Alvarez (22-2 MMA, 6-0 BFC) runs his current win streak to seven fights. Curran (13-4 MMA, 3-1 BFC) sees a four-fight win streak snapped but likely earned some respect in the process.

Hawn edges Good in split, books spot in finals

Former Olympic judoka Rick Hawn didn’t get a chance to flash any of his trademark throws, but the welterweight did display grit en route to a razor-thin victory over former Bellator champion Lyman Good.

In the opening round of their co-feature, Good did a great job of staying upright, utilizing his striking in the clinch and at range to frustrate Hawn and keep him from implementing his judo-based attack. While Hawn was pressing, Good appeared to be the more effective fighter.

In the second, Hawn used an early outside trip to gain top position, and he maintained the dominant spot until the end of the round. While he didn’t score with any heavy blows, Good seemed content to defend with a closed guard, and Hawn stayed busy enough from the top to avoid a stand-up and secure the round.

With the bout seemingly on the line in the final frame, the fighters put the cageside judges to the test. It was Hahn moving forward, pressing the action, but Good picked his foe apart with pinpoint strikes while retreating. A late takedown from Hawn further complicated matters, especially when Good scored a firm upkick from his back. When the final bell sounded, both fighters rose to their feet with their hands raised.

Only Hawn had the right to do so.

In an oddly scored contest, Hawn booked his spot in the finals with a split-decision result, 29-28, 28-29 and 30-27. Following the win, Hawn admitted he could have done a few things differently to earn a more clear-cut victory.

“He hits hard,” Hawn said. “I started off a little slow. At the end, I should have pushed a little harder.”

Hawn (11-0 MMA, 3-0 BFC) remains undefeated and now waits for the winner of Jay Hieron vs. Brent Weedman to book the season-four welterweight tournament finals. Good (11-2 MMA, 4-2 BFC) falls to just 1-2 in his past three outings.

Freire advances to finals with brutal knockout

In the evening’s second televised bout, Brazilian lightweight powerhouse Patricky “Pitbull” Freire secured his spot in the season-four tournament finals in emphatic fashion.

Following a patient start on the feet against submission ace Toby Imada, Freire saw an opening for a flying a knee and leapt into the air with his right leg forward. Imada ducked into the blow, adding momentum to the impact. Imada somehow remained on his feet, but his body rocked and swayed as he struggled to maintain consciousness. Freire swarmed with three powerful hooks that sent Imada crashing to the floor, and the bout was waved off at the 2:53 mark of the second frame.

Ruled a TKO, the finish was all knockout. With his fifth-straight victory (and sixth career knockout win), Freire (9-1 MMA, 2-1 BFC) looks a legitimate threat in the 155-pound division. He’ll meet the winner of a upcoming Michael Chandler vs. Lloyd Woodard bout in the tournament finals.

Meanwhile, Imada (29-16 MMA, 5-3 BFC), who was carried out on a stretcher, misses out on the lightweight finals for the first time in Bellator’s four-season history.
Saunders claims third-round stoppage in blood-soaked affair

The opening round was all Saunders. In vintage “Killa B” fashion, the American Top Team product pummeled Lee with knees from the Thai clinch. Landing multiple shots to the body and head, Saunders left his opponent bloodied and visibly wincing. Add in a few right hands on the outside to the chin that buckled Lee’s legs, and Saunders was in complete control.

The second round saw more of the same. Saunders added in a few uppercuts and elbows to his assault, and the resulting damage left both fighters soaked in the blood that was gushing from a variety of wounds on Lee’s face. The 39-year-old journeyman refused to quit, and he stood in the pocket trying to find an answer that wouldn’t come.

As the third round opened, it appeared doctors might intervene, but Lee and his corner insisted on continuing. It was a courageous decision that earned applause from the audience and even a bow of respect from Saunders. Unfortunately for Lee, Saunders wasn’t done with his attack.

In the early going of the final frame, another Saunders elbow opened a huge gash over Lee’s left eye, and blood flowed freely from the wound. Referee Kevin MacDonald called for the doctors, who made no more than a cursory inspection before recommending a mercy stoppage 84 seconds into the round.

With the win, Saunders (9-4-2 MMA, 1-0 BFC) improved to 2-0 since his August 2010 release from the UFC. Meanwhile, at nearly 40 years old, Lee (13-10-1 MMA, 0-2 BFC) is likely finished on the national stage.

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